The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

With summer taking
over Cairo, nothing is more refreshing than taking a dive in a swimming pool.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t have a swimming pool ourselves; hence the need
for day-use. Being your Cairo guide, it is Cairo 360’s job to try out all of
them. That’s why on one sunny afternoon we took the trip to the Conrad Cairo Hotel on
Maspiro’s Corniche.

The swimming pool
is situated on the third floor across from Jayda. Day use costs
300LE per person and gives you full access to the pool, health club and gym. You
are provided with two big blue towels for the whole day. The kidney-shaped pool
is not very big but good enough for a refreshing dip and a few laps. At its deepest
end, the pool is 2.4 metres-deep, at its shallow end, it’s just 0.6 metres deep,
making it safe for children. There is a small kids’ pool further up the stairs.

You can take a
chair in the sun or one with an umbrella for some more shelter. The pool area
is prettily laid out with flowers and plants adding a certain botanical element
to your rooftop lounging. Background music from Jayda Lounge will drown out the
traffic noise, and every once and a while the staff will serve you frozen face towels
to cool down with.

As expected with a
five-star hotel, the food at the Conrad is pretty expensive. A plate of calamari
costs 75LE, as does the mixed mezza platter. Sandwiches start at 48LE for a
veggie burger and reach up to 70LE for a beef burger. If you feel like a main
course, a plate of shish tawouk costs 75LE, while a plate of fish and chips costs 110LE.

A
cup of coffee on the poolside will set you back 26LE, while juices cost 24LE.
There are several cocktails as well for 75LE and above, while local beer costs 33LE.
We sampled the chicken Caesar salad (75LE) and were not very impressed. The
salad tasted more like raw endives mixed with chicken that could have used some
more grilling. The dressing was ok although a bit too oily.

After swimming, you
can try the health club where you can use the sauna and the steam room. The health
club is a bit rundown compared to the rest of the Conrad Hotel, though: the
sauna and steam room are clean but in definitive need of a makeover. On the
other hand, the gym has new equipment in decent condition and offers a good
workout.

The gym and health
club are open 24/7, while the pool area opens up at 7AM. Although you can spend
the whole day at the pool, half of the pool will be in the shade from 4:30PM
onwards, so you’ll have to move around to catch the sunrays. All in all, the
Conrad offers a nice city getaway, but it does come at a price.